You’ve been to enough Easter lunches and dinners by now to know this universal truth: there will always be leftover ham. You’ve probably been sent home with it time and time again, and when you’ve hosted, been the ham pusher yourself. So, what to do with all that remains? Just like all that extra turkey at Thanksgiving, there are some pretty delicious looking leftover ham recipes online that you should absolutely try at home.
Whether you’re having your family Easter meal around lunch time or closer to dinner, chances are there will be a ham at the center of the table, glazed in brown sugar, or crowned with pineapple rings, or however you like it prepared. And long after everyone has rocked back from the table and announced they can’t eat another bite, well, at least some of the ham shall remain. Once you’ve stuffed yourself, you may not be looking forward to eating the same meal all over again. Fortunately, ham is a versatile ingredient to have on hand, and if you find yourself with a surplus, you only have to decide which meal you’d rather eat it for. That’s because there are leftover ham recipes to reuse it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner (and even a slightly odd but satisfying snack).
Leftover ham casserole
This simple leftover ham casserole sounds so satisfying: it’s got two kinds of cheese, crispy, buttery bread crumbs, and wide egg noodles inside. The recipe takes about 15 minutes of prep, and then 35 minutes in the oven. It would pair well with a crisp side salad, or, tbh, another bowl of more casserole.
Ham & cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls
Want all that bonus ham out of the fridge the next day? Serve up these melty ham and cheese sliders for lunch. The recipe calls for sliced ham, but already cooked carved ham will work just as well when paired with Swiss cheese and sweet Hawaiian rolls seasoned with Dijon mustard.
Leftover ham ramen
Want a totally new flavor profile from Easter dinner and sides? Then you need to try this leftover ham ramen. Chances are you’ve got a few packages of ramen noodles that could use some sprucing up. With a little extra flavor and your favorite toppings (like soft-boiled eggs, yum), you might actually feel thankful you had all that ham left over.
Leftover ham & potato soup
If you’re feeling like making a one-pot meal that can feed a big group, consider this leftover ham and potato soup recipe. You’ll need cubed ham, diced potatoes, ground thyme, grated cheddar cheese, and some other pantry staples, like flour and butter. This will likely be a recipe you come back to again and again.
Ham & cabbage soup
Do you have some produce you need to use up, too? This ham and cabbage soup can help with clearing out the leftover ham and your crisper drawer. It calls for an onion, carrots, celery, and of course, cabbage, along with garlic and some other seasonings to bring it all together.
Easy scalloped potatoes & ham
Who doesn’t love scalloped potatoes and ham? If you have leftover ham to get rid of and another gathering to go to, you might as well create a big, decadent side dish to share with everyone. Just beware: your friends or loved ones will probably ask you to make this again once they’ve tasted it.
Snack pizzas with ham
Personal pizzas are an easy weeknight dinner idea and would earn any kid’s seal of approval. These ham-topped snack pizzas are perfect for using up leftover ham in a way that tastes nothing like you’re just reheating Easter dinner. You can build them with your kids for a fun activity, and of course, leave the ham off their pizzas if they’re team cheese only.
Ham tetrazzini
Tetrazzini is a baked pasta casserole dish traditionally prepared with chicken and mushrooms, but this ham tetrazzini puts a little twist on the recipe using leftover ham. Parmesan cheese, a little cooking wine, and plenty of fresh thyme bring the whole thing together. Serve it for dinner or pack it for lunches throughout the week.
Ham & cheese quiche
Making a big breakfast post Easter celebration? A ham and cheese quiche feels like the natural choice. You only need seven ingredients to whip up a quiche — ham, eggs, milk, pastry dough, cheese, salt, and pepper — and about 40 minutes in the oven. Serve with fresh fruit and plenty of coffee.
Leftover ham & cheese breakfast muffins
If you’re more likely to eat breakfast while on the go, opt for a more portable version of that quiche: leftover ham and cheese breakfast muffins. Frozen hashbrowns and eggs make up the bulk of the muffins, which are then topped with red and green bell peppers, plenty of cheese, hot sauce, and of course, leftover ham.
Ham jambalaya
You can make this ham jambalaya as simple or elaborate as you’d like, but in any form, it’s filling and flavorful. The recipe calls for ham, onion, green bell pepper, stewed tomatoes, rice, and Cajun seasoning, but commenters say they’ve added things like celery, mushrooms, carrots, and more. Don’t hesitate to use what you have.
Chunky ham & bean soup
Want to use up all that leftover ham without spending much on more ingredients? Yeah, the holiday meal itself was costly enough. This ham and bean soup comes out to around $6.70 for the whole recipe, and could be made even more inexpensively if you use canned or frozen veggies. No matter how you make it, it’s going to be delicious.
Hawaiian ham quesadillas
Ham and pineapple go together like peanut butter and jelly. Hawaiian ham quesadillas combine them with the only thing that could possibly make them better — ooey gooey cheese — and sandwiches it all inside a toasty tortilla. These would be so good as a WFH lunch or a speedy weeknight dinner.
Freezer breakfast burritos
Breakfast burritos are the one-handed, mobile breakfast of champions. Making a big batch of them with all your leftover ham and freezing them to reheat as needed, well, that should earn you a gold star or two from somebody. Pack it with salsa and sour cream to eat on the go.
Ham & cheese drop biscuits
It’s giving Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits, but dare we say, even better? If those could ever be improved upon, they’d be these ham and cheese drop biscuits. Biscuits can take a little practice to get perfect, so using leftover ham to make them lowers the stakes a little bit.
Ham & peas pasta with garlic cream sauce
It’s not your usual Italian dish, but ham and peas pasta in a garlic cream sauce sounds pretty darn good. You should have a few of the ingredients, like chicken broth and dry spaghetti on hand. Once it’s ready, it looks like it’ll be a crowd-pleaser for kids and grownups alike (even if they pick out the peas).
Triple pork fried rice
Top tier food containing ham that tastes nothing like an Easter dish: pork fried rice. The recipe uses bacon, ham, and porkchops to achieve “triple” pork fried rice status, but relying on leftover ham will add plenty of salty and savory goodness to the dish. A little egg, rice, and some frozen veggies will get you the rest of the way.
Barbecue sauce-glazed ham & pineapple picks
If you’re a ham and pineapple person, why muddy the waters with other ingredients? Take the pineapple you didn’t use when baking the ham in the first place, dice it up, and serve it as ham and pineapple picks. A little barbecue sauce on the side for dipping and there you have it: a satisfying afternoon snack, and more room back in your refrigerator.
Red beans & rice with ham
Red beans and rice is a classic Southern staple that’s salty, savory, and filling. It’s a rice-based dish with lots of Andouille sausage, ham, and obviously red beans (it’ll definitely help you get some protein in your day). It also happens to be pretty easy to make, so it’s worth trying if you’ve never made it before.
Croque monsieur
A croque monsieur, with its delicious béchamel sauce and melty cheeses inside and outside of the sandwich, is not exactly a light lunch for the day after Easter. But if you want to use up your leftover ham in an absolutely delicious way, well, it hardly gets better than this.
Whether you have too much ham on your hands or just a little bit left over, you can absolutely find a recipe to use it all up, all while feeling like you’re eating something totally new.
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